Comments on: I am the woman who does all the committee work

By: Rebis

Rebis — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:59:38 +0000

Really, I completely understand the importance of granting the men in the department parental leave at the same time as their wives have it, even if you couldn’t see your way to letting me have any sort of leave when my own pregnancy put me in the hospital — as you said, “I have to learn to pay the consequences of my decisions.” After all,we have to help the men juggle their complicated lives.

(really happened)

By: Anonymous 2

Anonymous 2 — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 08:18:13 +0000

Of course I was more than happy to take on some of your core teaching so that you could focus on your research. It is always a pleasure to see senior colleagues progressing in their careers.

I also enjoy our little chats about the joys and travails of raising children. So much unites us, despite the fact that I am a single parent and you have a stay at home partner with a private income. I really treasure your insights on the difficulties of juggling work and home life.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:57:50 +0000

Because I support men’s active involvement in parenting, I was pleased that you felt taking your daughter to her piano lesson was more important than the meeting of our search committee. Of course, when the meeting was scheduled three weeks ago and you agreed to the time, you had no way of knowing that you had this obligation, piano lessons not being predictable (or rescheduleable). At the time I was raising my children while long-distance commuting, it was crucial to be highly organized so as to meet all my professional obligations and not be “mommy-tracked.” I am glad this burden no longer exists, at least for men.

By: Perpetua

Perpetua — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:26:24 +0000

Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. I appreciate your many, well-thought-out, and in-no-way-illegal opinions about my reproductive decisions and the effects these decisions may have on my productivity and chances at achieving tenure. I was also grateful to hear your perspective about my “maternity leave” and its potentially detrimental effects on my male colleagues who also have children but who did not apply for such leave. I am surprised to discover that family leave is a tool for discriminating against men, since I was not aware that my leave would provide me an unfair advantage over my male colleagues, or that it functioned both as a “paid vacation” and “paid research leave.” The female members of this department are lucky to have a senior colleague who feels comfortable telling us how many children to have, and when we should have them.

By: wini

wini — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:32:26 +0000

Thank you for your advice about mentoring during the tenure track years. I especially appreciated your insights into our honors program. Although both of my advisees have been (extremely intelligent) white males, I’m sure you are correct that the program is worthless now because of affirmative action. I will be sure to turn down all women and people of color who approach me over the next four years. And, finally, thanks for your advice about only taking on one honors thesis per year. It is so nice to hear a senior faculty member agree with a decision I told you about 2 years ago. (To be fair, this was not someone in my department.)

By: Knitting Clio

Knitting Clio — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:19:36 +0000

oops, should be “type and fax to your colleagues”

By: Knitting Clio

Knitting Clio — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:18:23 +0000

I’m so thrilled that you refuse to learn how to use email and write multi-page memos in long-hand, which you then ask the department secretary to type and to your colleagues in Northern Cyprus. It’s such a valuable use of her time and the fifteen other full-time faculty in the department can make do without her services.

[this is based on a true story -- the Dean finally got this guy his own graduate assistant to type and send/reply to his emails for him]

By: Historiann

Historiann — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:48:39 +0000

Thanks, friends! (Now my computer screen is covered with coffee from my spit-takes this morning.)

By: Lance

Lance — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:04:40 +0000

More gallows humor from the real world:

“I appreciate that you’d like to get more involved in graduate education again, especially now that your divorce is final.”

By: truffula

truffula — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:11 +0000

Thank you for assuring me that you “don’t view women that way.” You may want to examine that assertion in more detail at some time in the future, but at present just let me assure you that Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action are not about you. (At least not yet.)